I. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to wireless communications, and more specifically to techniques for managing handover operations in a wireless communication system.
II. Background
Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various communication services; for instance, voice, video, packet data, broadcast, and messaging services can be provided via such wireless communication systems. These systems can be multiple-access systems that are capable of supporting communication for multiple terminals by sharing available system resources. Examples of such multiple-access systems include Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) systems, Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) systems, Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) systems, and Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) systems.
Generally, a wireless multiple-access communication system can simultaneously support communication for multiple wireless terminals. In such a system, each terminal can communicate with one or more base stations via transmissions on the forward and reverse links. The forward link (or downlink) refers to the communication link from the base stations to the terminals, and the reverse link (or uplink) refers to the communication link from the terminals to the base stations. This communication link can be established via a single-in-single-out (SISO), multiple-in-signal-out (MISO), or a multiple-in-multiple-out (MIMO) system.
A handover procedure can be utilized in wireless communication systems to in the event that a mobile device requires a transfer of communication service from a first network to a second network. As wireless communication technology becomes more advanced, seamless mobility and service continuity between different mobile systems, which can utilize disparate access methods from one another, becomes increasingly important. Seamless mobility between disparately-accessed networks can be facilitated by prepared handover between systems, which is enabled through inter-access system preparation. Various techniques exist for providing handover preparation across systems. For example, inter-access system preparation can be conducted by mobile devices enabled to communicate on two radio technologies simultaneously. However, conducting system preparation in this manner prevents the use of low-cost terminal hardware with multi-mode radio capability. Alternatively, an interface between mobility management entities of disparately-accessed systems can be provided such that a first system can utilize the interface to prepare resources at a second system. However, as this technique requires different radio technologies to be able to communicate with one another, it necessarily requires a complex standardization effort between radio technologies.
Accordingly, there exists a need for techniques for fast inter-system handover in a wireless communication system.